Chuck Berry:

Biography by Harper Schott

April 2, 2017

INTRODUCTION

“Don’t let the same dog bite you twice.” That is Chuck Berry's most popular quote.

When Chuck Berry was around, it was the 50s or 60s where he was most popular. He wasn’t paid that much attention because he was black and that was a pretty big deal in the 50s.

Chuck Berry though, was very important. He influenced artists like The Rolling Stones (a lot), The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and a lot of others. Some people think of him as country or folk, but he is mainly known as “The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll”.

CHILDHOOD

Chuck Berry was born October 18th 1926 in St. Louis. He was the 4th Child born in a family of six. When he was three he used to scoot under the table in the position as the picture above. It Became a tradition that he would do. Then he later did it in his live performances and it sort of became a tradition.

Later he sang in a church choir. He grew up really liking poetry but he didn’t learn guitar until he was in high school.

He played covers live in high school (mostly by his biggest influence T-Bone Walker).

THE FIRST TIME HE GOT ARRESTED

One day Chuck and his friends (for reasons unknown) went crazy and robbed two shops and stole a car.

The judges decided to send him to jail for four years, 1943-1947. He got released on his 21st Birthday.

After Chuck got out of jail, He started working as a carpenter and a hair stylist. He got married to a girl named (don’t ask) Themetta “Toddy” Suggs. That’s how life went until 1952 when a man named Johnny Johnson, a piano player asked him to play for a new year's show. Chuck Berry played guitar in the “Sir John’s Trio” until 1955.

WHAT HAPPENED IN 1955

In 1955 Sir John’s Trio broke up. A friend/musician nicknamed Muddy Waters told him that he should contact Chess Records. He did and they became interested and let him in the company.

After that, he started releasing hits. First came Maybelline, then came songs like Johnny B. Goode, Roll Over Beethoven (which the beatles covered), Sweet Little Sixteen, Little Queenie (which the Kinks covered live), Carol, Rock ‘n’ Roll music (which the beatles also covered), Too Much Monkey Business (which the Kinks also covered) and many more. He was also in a lot of music movies and documentaries. His first one was called “Rock Rock Rock”

THE SECOND TIME HE GOT ARRESTED

His second time wasn’t that bad, but keep in mind this is the 60s.

In 1961 (I have no idea why), he found a 14 year old girl out of town. He drove her back to St. Louis but got arrested for “Driving a girl around for immoral reasons”. He was in jail from 1962 - 1963. When he got out he wrote and finished one of his greatest hits: My Ding-a-Ling.

SWEET LITTLE 16 v.s. SURFIN' IN THE U.S.A.

The Beach Boys were influenced by Chuck Berry almost as much as the Beatles were. Brian Wilson (lead singer of the beach boys) went a little crazy from the song “Sweet Little Sixteen” (both songs below).

Chuck Berry sued them in 1963 and has signed a check each year starting from ‘66, to get half of the money that the beach boys make from that song.

WHAT HAPPENED IN 1979 (A LOT OF STUFF)

In June Jimmy Carter (the president at the time) asked Chuck to play at the White House. Chuck agreed and shortly after that he released his last album (until now) “Rock It”. He also got arrested again (more on that, next Page)

THE THIRD TIME HE GOT ARRESTED

Chuck Berry did yet ANOTHER wrong. He didn’t pay his taxes. He this time only went to jail for four months but I’m still showing this picture:

AWARDS

Chuck Berry earned a lifetime achievement grammy award in 1984.

Then in 1986 Keith Richards (Lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones) Introduced Chuck Berry into the “ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Chuck walked up, thanked him, made a speech, and duck walked off the stage.

AT 90, STILL ROCKIN'

On Chuck Berry’s 90th Birthday (October 18th 2016) he announced that an album, that has been worked on since the 80s Will be put out this year. It futures two of his kids on it (one playing guitar, and one playing harmonica).

Sadly though, he was found dead March 18 2017, Saturday morning. Many people Tweeted about his death: Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson, and even Barack Obama.

People also did tributes to him (live). Johnny Berry (his son), Green Day (wasn’t that good), and A.C.D.C. (was the worst thing ever, vocals mostly.

WHY CHUCK IS DOING WHT HE DOES

Chuck is remembered for influencing a lot of artists in the 60s and later. He has probably had one of the toughest lives of all musicians. He was the inventor of the duck walk. BERRY B. GOODE!

WHY CHUCK IS IMPORTANT

If Chuck Berry didn’t exist, then the genre of Rock ‘n’ Roll wouldn’t exist which would mean others that were made off of it wouldn’t like: Punk, Funk, Metal, Grunge, Pop, and many many others would not be listened to at this moment.

Chuck Berry is a huge influence to me for a bunch of various reasons including: His music, his duck walk, how he influenced others, but most of all, how he has made a number of mistakes, but is still able to be the man he is.

BEFORE AND AFTER CHUCK

Big Bibliography

1. “Chuck Berry Biography” TheFamousPeople.com 2017 Web. March 7th 2017 http://www.thefa

mouspeople.com/profiles/chuck-berry-6080.php

2. “Chuck Berry biography” Encyclopedia of world biography 2017 Web. March 7th 2017 http://w

ww.notablebiographies.com/Be-Br/Berry-Chuck.html

3. “Chuck Berry Bio” Rolling Stone 2001 March 8th 2017 http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artis

ts/chuck-berry/biography

4. “Chuck Berry Facts” Your Dictionary 2017 March 8th 2017 http://biography.yourdictionary.com/

chuck-berry

5. “Chuck Berry” Wikipedia 2017 March 8th 2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry

6. YouTube “An Interview With guitarist, singer and songwriter, Chuck Berry” https://www.youtub

e.com/watch?v=IoUaWuksp88

7. YouTube “Chuck berry jimmy carter” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDkTLOv9Dpg

8. “Chuck” Chuck Berry.com 2016 Web. March 13 2017 http://chuckberry.com/chuck-new-album

-coming-in-2017/

9. “Chuck Berry Sued The Beach Boys Over This Song - And Won!” 94.5 KOOL FM 2012Web.

March 13th 2017 http://kool.cbslocal.com/2012/03/16/the-song-that-got-the-beach-boys-i

n-trouble-with-chuck-berry/

10. Lewis, Randy “After Blurred Lines verdict, Brian Wilson talks Chuck Berry and ‘Surfin’U.S.A”

Los Angeles Times 2017 Web. March 13 2017 http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/mu

sic/posts/la-et-ms-brian-wilson-talks-blurred-lines-chuck-berry-and-surfin-ua-20150312-s

tory.html

11. Boilen, Bob “Chuck Berry’s 90th Birthday Present: A New Album” NPR 2016 Web. March 14

2017 http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2016/10/18/498372781/chuck-berrys-90th-birt

hday-present-a-new-album

12. “Chuck Berry quotes” Brainy Quotes 2017 Web. March 14 2017 https://www.brainyquote.co

m/quotes/authors/c/chuck_berry.html

13. YouTube “Chuck Berry and Robbie Robertson - Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll (pt. 1/2)” https://www

.youtube.com/watch?v=iXLuBCkeTJQ

14. Ellis, Ralph Leopold, Todd Marco, Tony “Berry, Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneer, dead at 90”C

NN.com 2017 Web. March 18th 2017 http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/18/entertainment/chu

ck-berry-dies/

Farewell Chuck!